I thought it could be nice to have a thread where we could talk about our first pets. This could be the first pet you remember your family having, the first pet that was officially yours, or however else you want to define it.

For me, my first pet was a fluffy white cat my family ended up getting just before I was born. He was attached to the house we moved into and he kept coming back here, so eventually his old owners just gave him to us because it was where he wanted to be. He was six when we got him, and he lived to about sixteen. He was actually the perfect cat to have while my sister and I were growing up; he was patient, gentle, and put up with all our antics and curiosity with grace and good humour. If we ever really upset or annoyed him, the most he would do is get up and walk away or very, very occasionally hiss, but he'd never bite or scratch. Through him my sister and I both learned a lot about how to interact with animals, how to understand and respect their boundaries, and how to let go when the time comes. Although I have other cats now and I love them dearly, my first will always have a special place in my heart.

So tell me about your first pet/s! Feel free to share stories, facts, pictures, and anything else you like.

My first pet was a parakeet named Daisy that I remember having when I was born. I was a terrible owner when I was still little to be honest because I would constantly knock his cage off its little area, something I am not proud of today. Of course when I got older I knew better and would act a lot more appropriate around him. I liked watching him moving about in his cage. We used to sing him a song, I think it was the lyrics to the song "Daisy Bell" by Blur. He was green and yellow.

We had two kitties when I was born, and the nicer one died when I was just a couple years old. I have no memories of them (not sure if it was a girl or boy) but I do have memories of the not-so-nice one who I believe had feral blood in them. He was put down right before we got our tri-color cat. We had another cat who I think had feral blood as well and was probably rescued from the streets at a couple weeks old, at which time he would have already inherited feral qualities -- ie, he did not have proper human socialization in the first few weeks of his life.

My first pet was a grey dwarf rabbit named Flopsy. I was 1 and we used to do everything together. Sleep, eat, play and I remember reading well looking at pictures of Peter Rabbit with Flopsy next to me.

Unfortunately she died when I was 3, and then I had a cat named SugarPlum who lived until I was 6. She started my fondness for cats.

i know when i was 9 or 10 we got 2 guinea pigs one boy one girl and they had a litter of four and while we did consider giving 1 or 2 away, we kept all of them in the end. The last survivor was actually one of the parents.

My first pet was a hamster named Henry. I believe I was about four or five and while I was too young to care for him on my own I used to observe my mom while she cared for him. I remember he was very friendly and liked being held.

The first pets that were mine were two long haired guinea pigs. I had a black and a white one and they had a giant purple habitat. Those were the first pets that I was the primary care taker. One passed from a heat stroke and the other passed from cancer.

I had a lot of guinea pigs and hamsters throughout the years.

The last pet I want to mention wasn't truly mine but she lived with us in the end. My grandmother adopted a six month old calico when I was six, shortly after my grandfather died. She had campfires with us, crossed the creek with us, and slept right on our heads. We moved her with us when my grandmother got sick and she used to walk the dog with us and knead on our laps, sleep on our backs and whatnot. She died at fourteen years old, a year after my grandmother died.

The wild woman has
a deep love of nature,
a love for the ancient mother,
though possibly misunderstood,
it has always been her.
When she goes into
the wilderness
a part
of her soul is going home.
-Shikoba-

My first actual pet that was all mine was a grey tabby named Sassy, we got her from a pet store. As far back as I can remember our family has always had cats, one of the ones I can remember a lot was Spooky, he was an all black short haired cat. I believe he passed away when I was five. Here and there we've had dogs but mostly we've had cats. It took me foreverrrrr to get my parents to allow me a hamster We actually bred them, black bear hamsters. Eventually my parents warmed up to hamsters and we've had hamsters since then. Only recently did I get a gerbil, and that's without telling my parents I was getting one I just brought it home and said "surprise!" They weren't too happy but eventually warmed up to it too.

“If I could have any superpower right now,
it would be to be able to go through that screen and give you a big hug."

Our first family pets were dogs,one I remember and the other died when I was a year old. The first pet that was "mine" was a goldfish I named Mr. Fish, then I got a second one because I decided it was lonely and named it Mr. Fish's Friend. But, the second one was sick and both of the fish died within a week, so I got a 3rd goldfish that refused to die, so when we moved, we had to leave it with the neighbors. After my parents divorced mom and I became cat people, the first cat was evil, so we waited forever to get the second. Our first one died in 2009, and now our other one is 16. Mom says no more after him.

Member Since: September 19, 2007LHO: March 31, 2008- October 13, 2012

"Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you." Jean Paul Sarte

My actual first pet was my mums cat called Smudge. I don't remember much about her because she died after being hit by car when I was quite young, but she was half wild and my mum said she would attack on command

My first pet that I really remember was my kitty cat called Tula. She was a black cat who we got when I was about 18 months old, and she lived until she was 18 so I had her my whole life. She was such a perfect cat. Well, she peed on the clean washing and hated any other animal coming anywhere near her, but she'd curl up and go to sleep right by me and lick me for half an hour straight, and when I was sad she'd know and come and sit with me until I was ok again. She was my best friend. When she died my parents said no more. I miss that silly cat.

❤ Nana ❤
1953-2016As far as we can discern,
the sole purpose of human existence
is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.
- Carl Jung

My first ever pet was a hamster who bit my finger. Let's just say I was terrified of it.

The pets I've had that were meaningful to me the most (not saying my other pets werent) were:

A cocker spaniel who lived to his age. He visits me in my dreams at least twice a year. I love him and we had some really amazing memories together.

A kitten I saved called Lucky and another Eye Ball. They were the sweetest cats ever but they stayed outside and we fed them. Then another cat called caramel who hated people but I took it slow to have it trust me. I was the only one caramel would come up to and allow me to pick up. All three kittens were trained to come to me by whistling.

A gerbil named Mr. Scamper who was the sweetest little guy. What was amazing about him was he said goodbye to me and I knew his lifespan was almost done. I cherish that memory close to my heart.

My current dog, Bentley. I saw his photo online at the humane society and I was drawn to him. I was indifferent about his long snout. He is my fur-son and we have our moments of crazy and fun. He is really affectionate.

My first pet was a chinchilla named Murray. My parents got him just before I was born, so he was around for the first 12 years of my life. He was the softest, fluffiest little guy and he was so sweet. I used to be so entertained watching him run around the play area in his cage and I loved when my parents would let him out of the cage to run around the house. I always thought it was really cool that I had an unusual pet too.

But my first actually pet that was all mine is Pixie. I got her in 2014 when I came back from a residential treatment center. She has helped me so damn much. She is one of the reasons why I am still alive. She is a blonde Chihuahua. Right now she is laying next to me on my bed in her pink sweatshirt because it is cold. It's funny she barks like a based hound and started doing that like 6 months ago.

I got my ticket for the long way ‘round
Two bottle ‘a whiskey for the way
And I sure would like some sweet company
And I’m leaving tomorrow, wha-do-ya say?|Member 2007|Community Mentor|